William Devin Howell

Serial Killer

William Devin Howell: The New Britain Serial Killer

Overview

William Devin Howell, born February 11, 1970, is an American serial killer responsible for the deaths of seven people in Connecticut during 2003. Howell lived a transient lifestyle and supported himself through temporary jobs, including landscaping and lawn care. He frequently traveled in an old blue van, which became an important location in the crimes and later provided investigators with critical forensic evidence. Howell targeted people who were vulnerable because of substance-use problems, unstable housing, poverty, or involvement in sex work. He approached victims in several central Connecticut communities, including Waterbury, Wethersfield, New Britain, and East Hartford. Investigators concluded that he brought victims into his van, assaulted them, and killed them, generally by strangulation. He then transported most of their bodies to a wooded and marshy area behind a shopping plaza on Hartford Road in New Britain. Howell privately referred to the burial area as his "garden." Its thick vegetation, wet ground, and distance from ordinary foot traffic allowed the remains to remain concealed for years. The location eventually became one of the largest serial-murder crime scenes in Connecticut history.

The Victims

The exact medical dates of death could not be established in every case because the victims' remains were discovered years later. The dates below are verified last-seen or disappearance dates and represent the closest documented dates to their deaths.

• Melanie Ruth Camilini last seen January 1, 2003, in the Waterbury area: Camilini was 29 years old and a mother of two from Seymour who had recently been staying in Waterbury. She was last seen on New Year's Day with two men. Because she had previously gone out of contact for extended periods, her disappearance did not immediately reveal that she had been killed. Her remains were recovered behind the Hartford Road shopping plaza in New Britain on April 28, 2015, and were identified later that year. Howell pleaded guilty to her murder.
• Marilyn Mendez Gonzalez last seen May 16, 2003, in Waterbury: Gonzalez was 26 years old and the mother of two children. She disappeared after leaving her Waterbury residence. Her family did not know what had happened to her for more than a decade. Her remains were found in the wooded New Britain burial area on April 28, 2015. Howell later admitted responsibility and pleaded guilty to murdering her.
• Janice Roberts last seen June 18, 2003, in Wethersfield: Roberts was a 44-year-old transgender woman from New Britain. Court and identification records also used her legal name, Danny Lee Whistnant. A witness saw Roberts enter Howell's blue van outside a Stop & Shop in Wethersfield on June 18. She was reported missing on June 24, 2003. According to information Howell later gave an informant, he strangled Roberts after discovering that she was transgender. Her remains were recovered from the New Britain burial site on April 28, 2015, and identified in June 2015.
• Diane Cusack last known alive July 9, 2003, in New Britain: Cusack was approximately 55 years old and lived in New Britain. Police last had documented contact with her on July 9 during a landlord-and-tenant dispute. She had been out of regular contact with relatives and was never formally reported missing. Her skeletal remains were among those discovered behind the shopping plaza in 2007. DNA testing identified her in January 2011. Howell pleaded guilty to her murder in 2017.
• Nilsa "Coco" Arizmendi last seen July 25, 2003, in Wethersfield: Arizmendi was 33 years old and had been living with her boyfriend at a Wethersfield motel. Howell had stayed in their motel room, and Arizmendi's boyfriend reported seeing her enter Howell's van at approximately 2:30 a.m. on July 25. Her sister reported her missing on July 31. Blood later discovered beneath carpeting inside Howell's van was matched through DNA evidence to Arizmendi's family. Her remains were found at the New Britain burial site on April 28, 2015. Howell had already entered an Alford plea to first-degree manslaughter in her death in 2007.
• Joyvaline "Joy" Martinez disappeared October 10, 2003, from East Hartford: Martinez was 23 years old and lived with her mother in East Hartford. She had been a talented track athlete in high school. Concern increased when she failed to attend her own birthday celebration, but she was not formally reported missing until March 29, 2004. Her remains were recovered behind the New Britain shopping plaza in 2007 and identified through forensic testing in September 2013. Howell pleaded guilty to her murder.
• Mary Jane Menard disappeared in October 2003 from the New Britain area: Menard was 40 years old, a mother of two, and associated with Waterbury. After confronting her own substance-use problems, she had reportedly worked as a substance-abuse counselor and tried to help others. The publicly available case record does not establish an exact day in October for her disappearance or death. Her remains were discovered at the New Britain site in 2007 and formally identified in September 2014. Howell pleaded guilty to killing her.

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Confirmed Victims: (7)

Melanie Ruth Camilini Age: (29), Date of Death: January 1, 2003

Serial Killer William Devin Howell's Crimes